Celluloid embossing process



Aug.`29, 1933. T. M. NlxoN ,1,924,800

- CELLULOID EMBOSSING PROCESS l Filed Aug. l, 1932 nia. y i JA Cl; .mi /71 6 afi-TQM@ 5 l .7

@M a Thomas-M. /Vxon/ PatentedI Aug. 29, 1933 PATENT OFFICE CELLULOID EMBOSSING PROCESS Thomas M. Nixon, Victoria, British Columbia,

Canada., assignor to Celluloids Limited, Victoria, Canada.

Application August 1,'1932, serial No. 621,227, and in canada May 25, 1932 .a4 claims. (el. i1- 24) This invention relates -to a. new process-and method of manufacturing automobile platesto eifect important economies both in manufacturing and distribution and also to effect a new and 5 striking effect in the article produced.

' In carrying out my invention I make use of celluloid for the body portion of the plate and emboss the figures and characters thereon by a new process not before known or used for this purpose.

An object of my invention is to improve the present automobile plate and make it more legible and distinct.

A further object of my invention is to effect economies in manufacture and reclamation of used plates.

A still further object of my invention is to 'produce an automobile plate that can be 'more readily read after dark than the present plate now in 2" use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a cheap, quick, and economical and commercial method and process of embossing celluloid without the use of hot dies and in which there is no iire risk or hazard in carrying out.

I do not confine my invention and process to the making of automobile plates exclusively as it may be applied just as successfully to the manufacture of single letter and numeral plates that may be arranged in a suitable holder to comprise any form of indicia suitable for street and highway signs and name plates.

Celluloid blank.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of a bath of hot oil with a blank being treated therein.

Figure 3 is an elevation showing a blank between the stamping and embossing dies.

Figure 4 is an elevation showing the Celluloid blank afterstamping and embossing and after the letters have been painted.

Figure 5 is a detail cross section on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

In carrying out my invention a selection of celluloid of the color allotted or selected for use in the Vparticular district, province or county in which the plates are to be used is rst made, after which the celluloid is cut into convenient size 1 for manufacture to suit the manufacturing facilities available and at hand.

The Celluloid may be of any reasonable thickness but I prefer to use a celluloid of about forty one-thousands of an inch in thickness as I have found such thickness to be both economical to In the drawing Figure 1 is the elevation of a use and to give the requisite strength-for the purpose intended.

In the embossing of the figures and characters on the plates I make use of no special equipment for this purpose, but use the standard presses and dies 4 and 5 as now used for embossing and stamping the present metal plates, and my experiments and experience lead me to. believe that the wear and tear of a set of dies used for stamping and embossing celluloid would be negligible as coml pared to dies used on metal plates: Therefore a prime economy is effected in this respectas a seti of dies used in the manufacture of metal license plates cost in the neighborhood of $1500 and have only a life of about thirty-six thousand sets 70 of plates.

- After the Celluloid is cut to the required size 1 for embossing I temper and soften the celluloid by subjecting and immersing it in a hot bath 2 of castor oil 3 ranging in temperature from 100 75 to'250 degrees Fahrenheit before placing it under the dies for embossing.

The time required for the operation of softeningv the celluloid to the requisite degree varies ac' cording to the quality and thickness of the celluloid and the heat of the immersing bath and may be performed in a fraction of a second if the oil is very hot by merely dipping the celluloid in and out of the oil bath, or if a very large number of plates are to be embossed they may be left in a bath of oil of a lower temperature, and taken out as required as no harmful effects result from immersion.

I The stamping and embossing ofthe celluloid is effected immediately after being taken out of its bath of hot oil and this operation may be carried on as quickly as the plates can be fed under the dies 4 and 5, as very little time is required for the actual operation of embossing.

After the plates come from the embossing dies they are left to cool before being cleaned, after which the figures 7 and 8 and letters are painted as at 9 a contrasting coloring to that of the body.

A marginal groove 6 may be stamped in the 00 plate 1 as in the conventional metal plates.

Advantages and economies of manufacturing celluloid plates over metal plates are numerous, as for instance, the plates are lighter and easier to handle than the metal ones, have no sharp 10'5 edges to hurt or injure the hands during handling, only require one painting operation, as the body being already ccloredv does not require painting as does the metal plates. Thus a Considerable saving in time is effected in not having to wait for the body to dry before painting in the character and gures.

In boxing, shipping and distributing the plates economies are eected by reason that the plates are less than one-half the Weight of similar size 2. The process of embossing celluloid with indicia such as numbers and letters by subjecting the celluloid to pressure between cold dies after the celluloid has been rendered soft and pliable by immersion in a hot bath of castor oil at a temperature from 100 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. The process of manufacturing automobile license plates and signs which consists in providing a sheet of celluloid of a definite selected color assigned to a particular State or locality, immersing the sheet in a bath of hot castor oil to render the sheet pliable and soft and stampingvv the sheet with embossed indicia. such as license numbers and letters while in the pliable state, removing the sheet from the embossing press and painting the embossed figures or letters with a color different from that of the celluloid.

THOMAS M. NIXON. 

